Dell PowerVault MD3260i CLI Guide - Page 11

1 About The Command Line Interface This guide is intended for system administrators, developers, and engineers who need to use the command line interface (CLI) tool and its associated commands and script files. Selected CLI commands perform functions that can also be accessed from the Modular Disk (MD) Storage Manager, which is the graphical user interface (GUI) to the storage array. See the Owner's Manual, which describes the Storage Manager software that is used to create and manage multiple storage arrays. For additional information, see the hardware and software manuals that shipped with your system. NOTE: Always check for updates on support.dell.com and read the updates first because they often supersede information in other documents. NOTE: CLI commands do not have interactive warnings for destructive commands. CLI is a software tool that enables storage array installers, developers, and engineers to configure and monitor storage arrays. Using the command line interface, you can issue commands from an operating system prompt, such as the Microsoft Windows command prompt (C:\) or a Linux operating system terminal. Each command performs a specific action for managing a storage array or returning information about the status of a storage array. You can enter individual commands, or run script files when you need to perform operations more than once (such as installing the same configuration on several storage arrays). A script file can be loaded and run from the command line interface. You can also run commands in an interactive mode. Interactive mode enables you to connect to a specific storage array and rapidly enter a command, determine the effect on the storage array, and then enter a new command. The command line interface gives you direct access to a script engine utility in the Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager software (MD Storage Manager). The script engine reads the commands, or runs a script file, from the command line and performs the operations instructed by the commands. You can use the command line interface to perform the following functions: • Directly access the script engine and run commands in interactive mode or using a script file. • Create script command batch files to be run on multiple storage arrays when you need to install the same configuration on different storage arrays. • Run script commands on a storage array directly connected to a host, a storage array connected to a host by an Ethernet, or a combination of both. • Display configuration information about the storage arrays. • Add storage arrays to and remove storage arrays from the management domain. • Perform automatic discovery of all storage arrays attached to the local subnet. • Add or delete Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap destinations and e-mail alert notifications. • Specify the mail server and sender e-mail address or Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) server for alert notifications. • Direct the output to a standard command line display or to a named file. How To Use The Command Line Interface Using the CLI commands, you can access the script engine, specify which storage array receives the script commands, and set operation environment parameters. 11